Leatherman Surge vs Leatherman Wave (Pics and Video)

I love gadgets, always have, and always will. I got my first Leatherman Wave when I was pretty young, about 14, and up until 2 weeks ago, I still used it (I will explain this in a bit). Today, I am going to talk about both the Leatherman Wave, and Leatherman Surge Multitools, and which I think is better, and why. So, without further a-due, lets get into it, Leatherman Surge vs Leatherman Wave.

Leatherman offer a wide range of multitools which all feature different tools. If you have never heard of Leatherman, they are an American company, started by Tim Leatherman, and offer some of the best multitools on the market today. Leatherman offer a 25 year warranty on all their products, which is why I no longer have the Wave I got when I was 14, it was replaced 2 weeks ago due to the screwdriver tip breaking! Top notch customer service if your ask me.

Today, I am going to review the Leatherman Wave and Leatherman Surge, compare them to each other, test them out and see how they cope doing various different tasks. Both tools are great, but do you know which one would suit your best?

Leatherman Surge vs Leatherman Wave

Surge Overview

For the first part of this comparison, I will cover some specs of the Leatherman Surge, then move onto the Wave, and compare the 2 of them to each other.

The Leatherman Surge offers 21 different tools in an easy to manipulate heavy duty casing. When open, the tool is roughly 4.5 inches in length, and weighs in at 12.5 ounces. To me, that is quite heavy compared to the Wave, but when it is on my belt pouch, I hardly notice it.

Leatherman Surge

The Surge offers the following features:

Needlenose Pliers

Regular Pliers

Premium Replaceable Wire Cutters

Premium Replaceable Hard-wire Cutters

Stranded-wire Cutters

Electrical Crimper

Wire Stripper

420HC Knife

420HC Serrated Knife

Saw

Spring-action Scissors

Awl w/ Thread Loop

Ruler (8 in | 19 cm)

Can Opener

Bottle Opener

Wood/Metal File

Diamond-coated File

Blade Exchanger®

Large Bit Driver

Large Screwdriver

Small Screwdriver

The Leatherman Surge and Wave are made from 40HC stainless steel that has been optimised to provide long lasting performance. The Surge is Leatherman’s biggest multitool and is great for anyone who needs a heavy duty multitool that can withstand anything, whereas the Wave is slightly smaller and lighter, which would be great for camping, hiking, or other activities where weight and space might be an issue. The Surge is a great multitool for having around the house, or even keeping in your car. I actually keep mine on my belt as an EDC. I don’t really notice it giving that it is quite heavy, which is a bonus.

Surge Vs Wave: Comparison

Overview

The Leatherman Wave is slightly limited compared to the Surge, in that it does not have the blade exchanger. If you watch the Leatherman Surge vs Leatherman Wave video below, you will see what I mean when I talk about the blade exchanger. While the Wave is an excellent option, if you require a blade exchanger, then this might be a deal breaker.

The Leatherman Wave offers some tools that the Surge does not, for example, the tiny screwdriver which can be used for glasses and other small screws. The Surge does not have this option built in, but instead has a bigger flat head driver. It’s really one or the other, though, if you buy the bits pack, you will get it with the Surge, though I have yet to figure out how to attach it.

Leatherman Surge vs Wave Comparison Video

Build Quality

Like all Leatherman multitools, the build quality of the Leatherman Surge and Wave is top end, they have been built to withstand the highest levels of abuse. All of the tools the Surge and Wave have to offer are lockable, meaning that once you fold them open, they lock into place so you don’t cut your finger off while using whatever it is you are working with. The only downside I have found with this so far is dirt in my pocket getting into the locking mechanism causing it to jam from time to time, but, give it a blow, and thats the problem sorted. Since I now keep mine in the belt pouch, I don’t have this problem anymore.

Leatherman Wave vs Leatherman Surge

Pliers

So, the Leatherman Wave vs Surge, which pilers are better? Well, both have great pliers, but for me, there is a clear winner here, it is the Surge. These things are just unreal, they can cut through pretty tough wire, and very thick wire at that. The wire cutters are made from 154CM steel which makes them very robust. The Surge being slightly bigger than the Wave, means the pliers are also slightly bigger, and I would guess that means you could cut through though materials as you would have more leverage. The wire cutters on the Surge are also replaceable, so if they get damaged, you can undo the screw holding them in, and get a new set, this is not an option on the Wave.

Surge Wire Cutters

In addition to wire cutters and strippers, the Surge features a wire crimper tool which the Wave does not have. Another note, on the back side of the pilers head, the Surge features a stranded wire cutter, and like I said, crimpers, the Wave does not have these.

Surge and Wave Pilers

Knife and Serrated Blade

Moving on to the knives and serrated blade, they haven’t used as high of a quality of steel as they have on the body of the tool (40HC), instead, 420 High Carbon heat treated Stainless Steel is used, this is still great, and will hold its edge for quite some time, and is also very easy to maintain. The blade on the Leatherman Surge measures 3.1 inches in total, and around 2.75 inches cutting edge, the Wave has a total blade length of 2.9 inches, and the cutting edge measures around 2.7 inches, not that much smaller than the Surge.

Leatherman Wave Knife

The serrated blade on the Surge measures 3.25 inches, and has a cutting edge of 3 1/8 inches, whereas the Wave has a blade length of 3 inches, and a cutting edge of 2.7 inches. Again these are both made from the same material as the knives, which is 420 High Carbon Heat Treated Stainless Steel.

Leatherman Surge vs Leatherman Wave: Both blades preform very well, both are very very sharp, and hold an edge well, but if you really need that extra bit of blade length, the the Surge is what you need, if not, then the Wave is a great choice. I own both multitools, and use both, and love them!

File

Looking at the file now, again, the file is slightly smaller on the Wave compared to the Surge, but, one big difference is, the Surge comes with a removable file, whereas the Wave does not. In order to load the file into the Surge, you must first remove the saw, the put the file in its place. The Wave comes with a file, that cannot be removed, it actually doesn’t have any removable tools.

On the Surge, the overall length of the file is 3.5 inches, with a 2.5 inch usable file. The Wave file is 3 inches overall, and 2.5 inch usable file. Both have a cross cut course side, and a smoother, diamond coated side for finer work. The edges of both files are also made for filing.

Saw

The Saw blade on the Leatherman Surge, just like the file, is removable (interchangeable with the saw/file), the Leatherman Wave does not offer this feature. The overall length of the saw on the Surge is 3.5 inches, and has a cutting edge of 2.5 inches, compared to a cutting edge of 2.5 inches on the Wave, and a 3 inch overall length.

The saw is capable of cutting through small branches, sheets of wood, foam, anything that the blade can reach through, this beast will cut it. If you watch my video, you will see that.

Wave vs Surge Saw

Bit Driver

The bit driver extension, as pictured below, is a part that came with the bit kit I bought for my Surge, this extension bit also fits the Wave multitool and really does make things so much easier when using the tool as a screwdriver.

Both the Wave, and Surge come with a star head screwdriver, and multiple flat head drivers. The star head is removable, and can be swapped out with bits from the bit kit, such as Allen keys, hex bits and so on. A tool the Wave has, but the Surge does not, is the tiny jewellers screwdriver, yes, this comes with the bit kit, but it does not come as standard on the Surge.

Leatherman Bit Driver

Awl

The next tool is the Awl, this is only an option on the Leatherman Surge, not the Wave. It is 1.5 inches long, with an edge on one side, and has a threading hole for threading heavy materials. The edge can be used as a scraper.

Scissors

Scissors are found on both the Wave and Surge multitools, but, I have to call a clear winner on this one, that is the Surge. The scissors on the Surge are big, and cut pretty well whereas the scissors on the Wave are quite small, though they still cut well. Both use a leaf system to spring load the scissors. The scissors on the Surge are accessible from the outside of the tool, whereas the Wave scissors have to be accessed by opening the multitool.

Leatherman Wave Vs Surge – Scissors

Bottle Opener, Can Opener and Wire Stripper

Both the Wave and Surge feature a bottle and can opener, with a wire stripper feature. Really as the title says. They work how they should, there isn’t really much more I can say about these., though if you watch the video of the Leatherman Wave vs Leatherman Surge, I point them out.

Buit-in Flat Driver

Moving on to the flat head screwdrivers. Both the Surge and Wave have built-in flat head screw drivers, however, the Surge has 2, whereas the Wave only has 1. The Surge features a 5/16 and 1/8 inch driver, the Wave only has a 1/4 inch driver.

Given the size of the Surge, it has space to have more tools, though, I do not miss the flat head driver on my Wave, one is enough for most tasks.

Ruler

The next thing on the list is the ruler. Both the Wave and Surge feature a ruler, and both have metric and imperial scales. The ruler on the Surge is 21.5cm/8.5 inches, and the Wave is 19cm/8 inches. To access the rulers, you need to open the tool out.

This is a part of the multitool that I have never used, but, I am sure it will be used someday.

Leatherman Ruler

Lanyard Ring

Both multitools feature a lanyard ring, though I do not use it. I used to have some 550 paracord threaded through the loop on my Surge, but it kept getting in the way, so it’s no longer there.

Ease of Carry

The Leatherman Surge vs Leatherman Wave in this part of the review is a given, the Wave is lighter, smaller and thinner than the Surge, therefore it is easier carried and makes a great EDC. If you want to carry the multitool in your pocket, go for the Wave, if you don’t mind having a belt pouch, then the Surge is great. I carry my Surge on a belt pouch, and hardly notice it, though, if I am wearing a boiler suit, it can be annoying at times.

Price

The Surge is priced higher than the Wave, for obvious reasons. Neither are cheap, but, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. I am a firm believer of buying once, and buying quality, and that is what you get when you buy a Leatherman.

Conclusion

So, on my quest of the Leatherman Surge vs Leatherman Wave, I have come to the conclusion that they are both great multitools.

Still finding it hard to pick one? Then buy both… Joking. Seriously though, if you have the money, actually buy both, if not, then read on.

So, it all really depends what you want this multitool for, are you a farmer, or do you work in an office, do you want it for camping, or for a long road trip in your car? Each tool is different, so with that in mind lets see why you would chose either.

With the Surge being the heavier of the two, it is a great tool for your Car EDC kit, or even your EDC Kit Pouch, though, if you require a lot from your multitool, and are going to be using it everyday for work, such as an electrician, or farmer, then this is the one to go for. It is a little bigger and heavier, so don’t be expecting to carry it in your pocket, you will need the belt pouch.

If you are just looking for a multitool to take camping, fishing, or just for general use, then the Wave is a great choice. The only tool I owned for 14 years was the Wave, and it served me very well on the farm, and around the house. It is lighter than the surge, slimmer, and overall more compact, so if you can do without the extra features the Surge has, then go for this one.

Before you decide on which to buy, think about what you will be using it for.

Will you be crimping wire?

Do you need 2 flat head drivers?

How often will you be using the scissors?

Will it be an EDC tool?

Will you be using it for work?

Do you need a file? If so, then you have to either carry the bit for the surge, or choose the Wave

Is weight an issue?

Will it be a tool kept at home?

Do you want to carry it in your pocket?

Hopefully the bullet points above will help you think about what you are using the tool for, and which one you need. Personally, I own both, the Surge is my EDC on my belt pouch, and I keep my Wave in my EDC pouch. I only ever carry the Surge on my belt pouch when at work, and if I go camping, I take my EDC pouch with the Wave, as I won’t be crimping wire when camping!